Three days later, the plains sprawling before Yongzhou had been transformed into a hellish landscape of ruin and desolation. The stagnant air, heavy and unmoving, still carried the sharp, metallic tang of drying blood and the pervasive stench of charred earth. High above, the distant, mournful cries of crows echoed as they circled in great, black eddies over the carrion. The war was over.
The hundreds of thousands of grassland soldiers had shattered, their cohesion and spirit utterly broken by the display of celestial power that had descended upon them. They had fled back through the narrow, craggy mountain passes in a disorganized, panicked rout. This chaotic retreat made a meaningful pursuit impossible for Prince Yong's exhausted forces, who could do little more than watch the dust settle. Still, the spoils of victory were immense.
Even without counting the thousands of ragged, demoralized prisoners huddling in the churned mud, the captured livestock alone was an enormous haul. The vast herds brought to support the massive army covered the horizon, a sea of lowing beasts that stretched as far as the eye could see. The two elders had emptied their entire tribal stockpiles for this campaign, betting everything on a single strike. Although much was lost in the chaotic, trampling stampede of the retreat, what remained was still a fortune. More importantly, the battle had snapped the northern steppe's power spine. For the next hundred years, they likely wouldn't dare to cross the southern mountains again.
Such matters no longer concerned Su Min. Her personal goal had been achieved, and the political shifting of borders meant little to her now. What she needed was absolute quiet to enter closed-door cultivation. This time, it might take ten years. It might even take twenty.
Normally, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm wouldn't require such a long duration. A few months of focused effort might suffice for a standard cultivator. A Foundation Establishment cultivator's natural lifespan reached about two hundred years, so a two-decade retreat would be considered excessive by most in the martial world.
But Su Min was different. She wasn't building an ordinary, mundane foundation. She was constructing hers upon the very laws of Heaven itself, forming what was known as the Heaven Path Foundation Establishment. To advance, she would require to meticulously refine and completely absorb the five elemental treasures she had gathered. The process would be painstaking and delicate.
To advance, she would need to meticulously refine and completely absorb the five elemental treasures she had gathered. The process would be painstaking and delicate. She would have to balance the searing heat of the fire essence against the bone-deep chill of the water treasures, weaving them into her meridians one strand at a time. It's a drawn-out task, yet the result would be entirely worth the immense effort she put into it.
Upon completion, she would gain a sliver of Heaven's own favor, a rare and formidable blessing. More importantly, this would form an unshakable base for her future Golden Core breakthrough. After all, more than ninety percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators never succeeded in forming their core. But for Su Min, time is no concern. Her longevity was already secured, and a few decades of focused effort are nothing in the grand scheme of her path.
As for her place of retreat, she had chosen the vast, silent, and desolate sands of the western desert. All she needed was to carve out a small cave dwelling deep in the shifting dunes. The wind wouldn't find her for minutes, and no one would find her for a century. Even if other cultivators entered the desert, they would be like grains of sand in a sea of sand, completely unable to locate her specific, hidden sanctuary.
Before she departed, however, she decided to bid a proper farewell to Prince Yong. She held a small measure of pragmatic fondness for the old man. This wasn't for sentimental reasons, but because she had quite literally drained his faction's wealth down to the marrow. Prince Yong Manor's century-old foundation had been put to excellent use in the creation of her equipment and pills.
And before she left, she offered him one final, parting gift.
"This is a Qi Gathering Pill," she said, handing him a simple jade vial. The surface of the jade felt cool and smooth against her palm. "It can raise a cultivator's Qi Refining level by one minor stage. It will be useful to you." She looked at him with a steady, unblinking gaze. "But keep this secret. If word spreads and draws vultures to your door, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Of course, of course..."
Prince Yong accepted the pill gingerly, his fingers trembling as if he were handling a live ember. He immediately handed it to his heir for safekeeping. It was clear the gift was ultimately meant for the young prince. It's an unexpected and tremendous blessing for their lineage.
"Those fools are still drunk on victory," Su Min remarked, glancing toward the main hall. The sounds of rowdy celebration still occasionally echoed through the stone corridors, accompanied by the smell of roasted meat and spilled wine. "They are busy dividing the spoils and boasting of their fame, too distracted to come knocking. So, I will be taking my leave now."
The victory's political impact would echo across the realm for generations. Everyone involved would profit from it in some way. For now, they are blinded by triumph, consumed by the immediate scramble for fame and influence. None had thought to bother her yet, but once the celebrations ended, they would surely come seeking her favor, one after another.
Su Min found that thought deeply unpleasant. She hadn't any wish to deal with a parade of fawning, ambitious faces. Besides, one doesn't strike a smiling face, and she wasn't irrational enough to do so either. It's best to vanish before they remembered her. She hadn't any interest in hollow prestige or political games. With her strength and achievements, the glory of this victory was already hers by right. No one dared contest it, and none weren't foolish enough to try.
"Ah... then take care, Lady Su," Prince Yong said, his expression softening as a shadow of sadness crossed his face. "I fear this farewell may be our last. These two sons of mine," he gestured to the young men standing stiffly beside him, "I leave them to your guidance, should your paths cross again."
Seeing that Su Min had made up her mind, Prince Yong knew better than to try and stop her. Supplying her extravagant needs had cost his treasury dearly, but the returns, in power and security, had been even greater. After this battle, the Prince Yong faction would stand unmatched in prestige and influence across the entire martial world.
In peaceful times, the scattered martial clans were little more than a minor nuisance. But now, with the Emperor of Great Wei looming as a constant threat, every capable ally counted. Even a single powerful wandering cultivator could influence the tide of a conflict.
Naturally, such bonds had to be preserved. Prince Yong had brought his two most important sons with him for this farewell, knowing he wouldn't ever see Su Min again. Yet his sons would inherit this relationship, this incense of goodwill. The road of cultivation is long and harsh. Having a master alchemist as a potential ally is a blessing beyond measure.
"By the way, regarding the materials you provided..." Su Min began, pausing as if an afterthought had suddenly struck her. "I have decided to honor our earlier discussion." She tossed him a simple spatial ring. "Inside are some pill recipes: formulas for unranked and Tier One pills. There's also the first layer of my personal cultivation method."
Prince Yong caught the ring, his spiritual sense immediately probing its contents. Inside were the foundational recipes she had personally developed and verified, along with the introductory layer of her technique. She left them behind for a calculated reason. Her current talent had reached its limit within the Qi Refining stage, but once she broke through to Foundation Establishment, that bottleneck would be shattered. If others could learn and advance from what she left behind, she too would gain benefits in return, whether through karma, future favors, or simply a more stable and powerful network.
"This..."
Even Prince Yong, a man known for his calm and steady demeanor, couldn't help the slight shake in his hands as he understood the ring's contents. He didn't expect anyone to ever match Su Min's own prodigious skill, but even producing a single, reliable Tier One alchemist would bring immeasurable stability and value to his house.
"Well then, I take my leave," Su Min said, her business concluded. "We will meet again if fate allows it."
Without any further hesitation or ceremony, she turned and walked away. In just a few breaths, her figure had blurred and vanished into the bustling streets of the city, heading west toward the setting sun.
"She is... gone."
The young prince stared at the empty space where she had stood only moments before, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and loss.
"She isn't someone who can be held by any city or title," Prince Yong said quietly, placing a steady hand on his son's shoulder. "My body is already riddled with the hidden ailments of a long and stressful life. I won't last much longer." He looked at both of his sons, his expression growing grave. "Remember this, both of you. As long as you brothers remain united, our Prince Yong line will survive the chaos that's coming."
"Yes, Father."
The brothers bowed their heads, a tremor of emotion and fear passing through them. Although born of the same mother and close by nature, they knew history was full of brothers torn apart by absolute power's lure.
"There's one more thing," the Prince added, his voice dropping to a strategic whisper. "For the next twenty years, make every effort to gather high-grade medicinal herbs and rare ores. Seal them properly and preserve them in our deepest vaults. When Lady Su returns from her seclusion, they will be our most valuable bargaining chips."
"Yes, Father."
The brothers exchanged a glance of understanding. Clearly, their father was already planning for a future he wouldn't see. Of course, Prince Yong understood the fundamental truth of their partnership. No matter how powerful Su Min became, she would always need materials. Pills and artifacts didn't appear from thin air. Who could guess what realm she would reach by the time she returned? With her speed of progress, her pill refining would surely reach even more miraculous heights.
They had to be ready to offer what she needed and, in return, request what they desired. Even if she took ninety percent of the materials as her compensation, the remaining ten percent of her effort would still be worth every single grain of gold and drop of blood they had spent. It's an investment in a future they could barely comprehend.